[SOLVED] Can I install any package to make font smoothing better on Debian?

Mr. Alex · 05-23-2010, 05:28 AM

I am pretty new to GNU/Linux. I use Mint but want to use Debian. The problem is, Debian has worse font smoothing. Ubuntu's smoothing is great! Is there any possibility to simply install any package on Debian stable to make Debian's font smoothing exactly as it is in Ubuntu?

Some people told me how to make Debian's smoothing better, but I'm not that experienced to do that. It's too difficult for me.

radiodee1 · 05-23-2010, 07:26 AM

try:

Quote:

aptitude install ttf-mscorefonts-installer

as root. maybe that will help.

Mr. Alex · 05-23-2010, 08:58 AM

No, you got me wrong. I am satisfied with fonts. I want to improve font smoothing.

radiodee1 · 05-23-2010, 09:04 AM

maybe this then:

System -> Preferences -> Appearance -> Fonts Tab
Then click 'Subpixel Smoothing'

Is that it?

Mr. Alex · 05-23-2010, 09:21 AM

No again.

That "Subpixel Smoothing" differs in different distributions. The point is - "Subpixel Smoothing" in Ubuntu is what I like and "Subpixel Smoothing" in Debian is what I don't like. So I would like to make "Subpixel Smoothing" of Debian the same as it is in Ubuntu, because they differ.

jim_p · 05-23-2010, 10:01 AM

Regardless of DE, I do the following

Code:

dpkg-reconfigure fontconfig-config

and answer Native or Autohinter, Always and Yes respectively.

cola · 05-23-2010, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Alex

No, you got me wrong. I am satisfied with fonts. I want to improve font smoothing.

Can you post a screenshot for that font?

gradinaruvasile · 05-23-2010, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Alex

I am pretty new to GNU/Linux. I use Mint but want to use Debian. The problem is, Debian has worse font smoothing. Ubuntu's smoothing is great! Is there any possibility to simply install any package on Debian stable to make Debian's font smoothing exactly as it is in Ubuntu?

Some people told me how to make Debian's smoothing better, but I'm not that experienced to do that. It's too difficult for me.

This is what you need:

http://hadret.posterous.com/hadrets-debian-ppa

This repository contains the patched versions of libxft2 and libcairo2 - the libraries that control how fonts are looking.
The libraries in official Debian repos are not patched - i dont know the exact reasons.
So the smoothing is not that good.

Be careful though: the repository contains all kind of stuff, you need only these 2 libraries. If not pinned these 2 packages, the others will be upgraded too and could lead to corrupt package system!

I would advise to create a /etc/apt/preferences file:

Press alt+f2, type:

Code:

gksudo gedit /etc/apt/preferences

with the following content (you need need root rights):

Code:

Package: *
Pin: release a=unstable
Pin-Priority: 1

Package: libcairo2
Pin: release a=unstable       
Pin-Priority: 999

Package: libxft2
Pin: release a=unstable       
Pin-Priority: 999

This will prevent the rest of the packages from the repository to be upgraded. But be careful - some packages in the main repositories still depend on the official versions of these 2 packages so you might have some conflicts here and there. If you feel you are not up to resolve dependency problems, read around or dont use the repository.

Mr. Alex · 05-23-2010, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cola

Can you post a screenshot for that font?

Font smoothing I like? Sure:

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...l/06d73f2b.png

Mr. Alex · 05-23-2010, 02:30 PM

gradinaruvasile, can I just download those two DEB files and install them from my HDD, so no need to add new repositories?

gradinaruvasile · 05-23-2010, 02:56 PM

Yes you can. But you wont get upgrades for them afterwards.
And the version mismatch situation will still be there.

craigevil · 05-24-2010, 02:11 AM

Hm I must be missing somethin.
Your image on the left, mine on the right.
http://yfrog.com/0t201005240307591280x1024p

My eyesight sucks, but I do not seen much if any difference.

Mr. Alex · 05-24-2010, 04:11 AM

Quote:

I do not seen much if any difference.

There is a little difference, your smoothing is not bad though...

Quote:

And the version mismatch situation will still be there.

So it will decrease stabilty, right?

gradinaruvasile · 05-24-2010, 05:24 AM

Stability itself is not a problem. I use this patch for quite a while on 3 computers with Debian Squeeze and had no stability issues. Its just that if you want to install something that depends explicitly on the official debian version you will be in trouble. It did happen to me, but i was able to resolve the dependency problems. If you cant, you might end up with a system where the packet management is broken - this means no packages can be installed or upgraded.